Seniors led the way Tuesday night as Bulloch Academy pounded cross-county rival Robert Toombs in both girls’ and boys’ basketball action.
    Pate Lomax scored 20 points while Ashley Burke added 15 as the Lady Gators doubled up the Lady Crusaders 57-25.
    In the nightcap, a strong third quarter helped the Gator guys blast RTCA 71-39. Marvin Perkins netted 16 and Smith Reeves had 10 in the Bulloch victory.
    Perkins cranked up the night when he came out gunning in the opening quarter, draining two three-pointers in the opening minutes. The Gators (5-7) pulled out to a 13-2 lead early. Perkins and junior Hunter Perry swept the boards clean while the BA press befuddled the Crusaders.
    RTCA (3-3) rallied back behind the speed of Rico Rogers. Both squads pressed and used tight man defense to make the first quarter a foul fest. The Gators were able to get into the groove before the visitors and ran out to a 23-12 lead by the buzzer.
    Will Rushing, another senior, pushed the lead to 25-12 with a 10-footer to open the second quarter. The second eight minutes saw fast and out-of-control play. Still, Bulloch managed to take a 32-16 lead on a Perkins putback with 3:51 left. The Crusaders mounted a mini-rally at the end of the quarter to trim the BA advantage by the halftime buzzer.
    The Bulloch defense was a stonewall in the third, with Perkins, Rushing, Perry and seniors Will Marsh and Smith Reeves working hard to stop the Crusaders. On the other end of the floor, Perry and Reeves led the offensive charge. Perry had nine on the night. The Gators went on an 11-2 run by the 3:10 mark to take a commanding 48-24 lead. Bulloch had a 54-27 advantage at the buzzer.
    Bulloch head coach Chandler Dennard substituted freely in the fourth quarter.
    Todd Lanier led the Crusaders with 10 points while Rogers added seven.

Bulloch 57, RTCA 25 (Girls)
    RTCA’s Emily Shaw drilled the first points of the game, popping a 3-pointer from the right wing.
    That was the end of the Lady Crusaders’ first-quarter scoring. 
    The Lady Gators (12-1) scored 15 unanswered points and went on a second-quarter rampage to take a 40-14 halftime lead.
In the 25-point second quarter, Lomax had 11, Burke added nine, junior Sarah Evans added four and senior Page Spence chipped in one. In the eight-minute span, the Lady Gators pushed the ball inside, took the high-percentage shot, got fouled in the traffic and hit the free throw. Burke’s old-fashioned three-pointer with 5:20 gave the Lady Gators a 25-5 lead while both Lomax and Evans, who had nine on the night, had similar situations.
Bulloch head coach Paul Webb substituted freely in the second half.
    Shaw led the Lady Crusaders with 10 points.
In middle-school action earlier in the afternoon, the BA boys whipped RTCA 38-15. Don Aaron scored 17 while Colin Davis added seven. The BA girls didn’t fare as well, losing 24-11. Madeline Cowart led with five while Abby Newton had four.
    Bulloch’s varsity squads will be back in action Friday, battling Brentwood School from Sandersville in the late matchups of a four-game set. Westminster of Augusta and Frederica Academy of St. Simons Island will play a pair starting at 4 p.m. The BA girls take the floor at 7 p.m. while the boys follow at approximately 8:30 p.m.